


Re-Location

by KateMcHughGorman



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-07-26 00:07:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20034574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KateMcHughGorman/pseuds/KateMcHughGorman
Summary: Murray’s home has been compromised by that stupid phone call. So, he turns to Hop and Joyce for help.They owe him, afterall!Wanting a fresh start for Murray and Alexei, Hop contacts a friend down South.After all; who would look for a Russian scientist and a paranoid Communist in the Florida Keys?





	1. The Call

Growing up in Hawkins, I never thought my life would be interesting. Graduate school, get married, have kids, eventually croak; all within the same 50 mile radius. That's what life was for most people from my hometown. 

Thankfully, my life hadn’t turned out that way. 

Turning my back on your small town upbringing, I did everything I could to make something of myself. Working my ass off at college and multiple jobs eventually landed me a sweet gig at a marine laboratory in the Florida Keys. 

Of course, I went back to Hawkins once in a blue moon. 

But I swore to myself that the last time was going to be the **last time. **

I'd spent the whole day down at the pier, keeping an eye on the algae blooms and taking some oxygen samples. I was worried about a possible red tide bloom; that would cause havoc for the locals. 

Getting home, I walked in without bothering to even try getting all the sand off of my skin. I went through the motions; tossing my windbreaker onto one of the kitchen chairs, checking the sink for any dirty dishes, and glancing at the voicemail machine. 

Surprisingly, the light was blinking. 

All of my friends and co-workers knew well enough to leave a message for me at the lab. Hopefully it wasn’t my nosy aunt or that strange neighbor that keeps asking for me to join the Homeowners Association. 

Hitting the play button, I absentmindedly turned my back to the machine and started rooting through the fridge. There were some take away enchiladas here if I remember correctly…. 

“Uh...hey, _______.” 

Hopper’s voice made me almost drop the take out container I’d been hunting for. 

“Yeah, I hope you’re...doing okay?” Hop cleared his throat. Good, I weren’t the only one uncomfortable here. “Listen, I need a favor. There’s...been more ** _stuff _ **going on back in Hawkins-” 

I felt the skin on my neck jolt, like someone had poured ice water down my back. I knew what ** _stuff _ **meant. I’d been in Hawkins when those monsters were running around the _second_ time. Hop had called me back to check out the local rivers and lakes. All sorts of vegetation and plants had been dying- including fish. The local environmental rangers had no clue; so Jim had called in a favor to me. 

Now that I think about it, I only ever hear from Hop when he needs a favor....but how do you tell the guy who used to babysit you no? He has so much ammo against me. 

“It’s all over now- but I need your help. Two friends of mine need help..._relocating_. And you know the situation of Hawkins, there’s no one else I can trust. I owe these guys my life. My daughter’s life.” 

Had I been day drinking, or did I just hear Hop’s voice break a little bit? 

Dammit all to hell…. 

“So…._______, give me a call if you can help me out.” 

Closing the fridge, I stared blankly at the tile floor. Did I really want to get mixed up in this again? I left Hawkins to get away from it; I were too young to die from some weird other-universe dungeon and dragons monster! 

“Ah, and this his Hop, by the way.” 

How did he ever become the Chief of police? 


	2. The Favor

The night after the I received the message was not very restful. I spent most of the night tossing and turning; fiddling with the air conditioning to see if a little air would make me comfortable. Late night snacks did nothing for me. Nothing I seemed to do helped settle my mind. Not even turning on the Discovery channel to watch some late night documentaries helped quiet the swirling thoughts. 

What could Hop possibly want? Sure, the favor sounded simple, but the last simple favor I did for Hop ended up with me running out of a secret government base, covered in blood. 

Oh, and some pretty gnarly nightmares to go along with the whole horrific ordeal. 

I waited until the next morning to call Hop back. 

“H-hello? Who’s this?” Hop sounded exhausted. It was 8 AM, you’d expect the Chief of police to at least be coherent at this time. 

“I got your message.” I honestly didn’t know what else to say. I weren’t exactly calling to shoot the shit or share wonderful news. More people I grew up with were dead; I’d seen those fake headlines about the mall fire a few weeks ago. I should have instantly known it was something to do with the Upside Down. 

“I didn’t think you’d call me back.” 

“You called last night. You didn’t even have to wait 24 hours you bossy cow.” Trying to let out a little stress, I let out a deep breath. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. 

“Sorry; days and nights have been running into each other for the last few weeks.” Exhaustion crept back into Hop’s voice. “You wouldn’t believe what’s been going on here. I wanted to bring you in the loop, but Joyce screamed the cabin down when I mentioned it.” 

Loudly, in the background, I heard Joyce shout something at Hop. 

“I know it wasn’t really you! And it’s not down, it just has a few holes that need to be patched up!” Hop shouted back to Joyce, clearly pushing the phone to his chest to try and muffle the fight. 

“Hop..Hop...HOP!” I had to shout his name a few times to get him back on the phone. “Save me the gory details. Bullet points.” 

Hop took a deep breath, as if trying to figure out where and when to start. “Russians built the mall, had a lair underneath the mall, used the lab in the lair underneath the mall to try and re-open the gate to the Upside Down-” 

“Do you mean that big Star mall that just got built?” 

“Don’t forget the Russian Terminator!” I heard Joyce chime in from somewhere behind Hop. 

“Yes, that mall! Oh, and an assassin that looks like that Arnold Schartzeneger guy. We kidnapped a Russian scientist-” 

“We made a citizen’s arrest, we didn’t kidnap him!” 

Hop let out an aggravated groan. “Yes, thank you Detective Byers. So, we have this Russian. I found a paranoid American to translate; and now they both need someplace to go. The government is working on citizenship for the Russian for helping to stop the evil Russians, and the paranoid American is upset that his creepy bunker was compromised-” 

“Jim.” 

Hop stopped talking, I could almost imagine the sheepish grimace on his face. 

“Where do I come into all of this. I don’t mean to rush you; but the nightmares from the last time I came home were just starting to fade.” 

There was a beat of silence. I was sure that Hop had just as many, if not more, nightmares than I had. I hadn’t been around the first time those monsters had arrived in Hawkins, but I knew that Hop had seen some awful things. 

Hopefully this third time's the charm and monsters were gone for good. “You know I never wanted you to be involved in this.” Hop’s voice was gentle, not his usual gruff growl. Hop never would purposely put me in danger, but I was already in it just by knowing what I knew and seeing what I'd seen a few years back. 

“I know.” I dug my barefoot into the cool tile of the kitchen. “But if you owe these people your life, I’ll try to do good by them. What do you need?” 

Hop sighed in relief; I heard some papers ruffling and what sounded like someone muttering in Russian. 

“Could they stay with you for a few weeks? Just until all the citizenship and government paperwork is finished? I know that’s asking a lot, but you’re the farthest I can get them away from Hawkins, while still trusting that they’ll be safe.” 

Looking around the house, I shrugged. “Sure, I’ve got two guest rooms. They’ll have to share a bathroom; I’m not made of money. Tell them not to expect the Ritz, but they’ll be taken care of.” 

“YES!” Hop roared into the phone, making me jerk away from the receiver. “I owe you, Kid, you have a lifetime of favors.” 

Scoffing, I rolled my eyes. “That’s what you told me after I got chased down by those demon dogs. How are you guys getting here?” 

“I’m going to contact a friend of ours at the Department of Energy, and he’ll get us a way down to you.” Hop sounded so relieved, I could imagine him throwing himself down onto that old E-Z-chair of his. “I’ll give you a call back with the details.”

“That sounds good to me, Chief.” My alarm went off, reminding me that I did have a job to get back to. “The ocean calls, Hop. I’ll talk to you later.” 

“Thanks again, you saved my ass. I’ll see you soon, Kid. Be safe out here.” 

Hanging up the phone, I felt surreal. Everything to do with Hawkins left me feeling a little lightheaded, like I'd held my breath underwater for too long. I would never turn down Hop, but I did feel a twinge of nervousness about having two strangers in my home. 

Then again, if Hop vouched for them, I had no reason to worry…

Right?


	3. The Bias

The Atlantic ocean always was my favorite. 

Sure, I was a little biased having lived and studied mainly on the Atlantic, but the body of water held a special place in my heart. 

Sitting at the bow of the research boat, I watched the horizon. I was waiting for the drag nets to bring up some fish to examine. No one let on just how much waiting I was in for when I became a scientist. 

Waiting was never a problem for me before. What ! once found as calm and serene now held a twinge of worry. What if somewhere, down below, was another of those creatures from the Upside Down? If they could have a gate in the middle of nowhere Indiana, who's to say there wasn’t another gate out there somewhere? 

No...no, I can’t think like that… 

A passing tour boat filled with summer campers made me smile. The kids were leaning over the edge to peer into the water of the bay, screaming when something underneath made the water stir. 

Could any of those kids be as brave as Eleven, Max, or the boys? 

I doubt it. 

I mean, I’m an “adult” and I’m not sure that I could brave those demodogs or demogorgons when I was their age. I could barely tie my shoes and not cry when someone made fun of me. 

Before I got too deep into the past, I remembered to reel in my catch. Grabbing my net, I pulled it back into the research boat. Plucking the fish out of the fiber, I plopped them into the small aquarium to keep them alive while I examined them. I snagged a puffer fish, took some scale samples, and tossed him back home. 

Taking samples was simple, almost mind numbing at this point, and my mind wandered dangerously while I worked. I’d never hidden anyone before, let alone two people. Then again; who would look for two Indianans in Florida, so I guess it was a good fit for them to stay with me. I never had a reason to doubt Hop’s choices before, they had always turned out to be mostly alright. 

But the Russian had me worried. The last thing I needed was to be in the middle of some American vs. Soviet pissing contest...but if this guy did save Hop and Eleven, then I did owe him…

Shit, this is why I work with fish. No drama, no foreign scientists, or evil monsters. Just happy little fish. 

Tossing back the last specimen, I pulled up the anchor and turned the boat back around to head towards the marina. The water in the bay was normal, calm lulling waves with a few birds coasting along looking for an easy meal. Pulling into the docks and making quick work of tying and locking up the research boat, I was soon on my way back to the lab. 

The Marine Laboratory was a wonderful educational and scientific center. Animals were rescued not only for research, but for education. The newest arrival was a small green sea turtle who’d been hit by a speedboat. He couldn’t survive in the wild anymore, but he would be just as happy here in his large tank, being fed all day, and being an ambassador for his species. 

Walking into the back where the laboratories were kept, I knocked on the director’s door. “Doctor Clarke?” 

“I told you not to knock! Just come in!”

Doctor Clarke was a no-nonsense old lady who spent her life dedicated to the ocean. 

So obviously, I may have a little bit of hero-worship when it comes to her. 

Pushing open the door to her office, I found her bent over a container of small leopard sharks. 

“The scale samples all came back negative, but the water samples do show an unusual amount of algae toxins. Same as last week.” Scratching the back of my head, I left my report on her desk. Doctor Clarke hummed, running her spindly fingers over the back of one of the leopard sharks. 

“Keep your eyes on it. May be nothing. May be something.” Adjusting her glasses, Doctor Clarke frowned out the window. “Those fuckin’ plankton better not mess with my sharks.” 

Laughing, I headed towards the door. “I’ll keep my eyes on the tide, Doc!” 

“You better! If I see one more dead shark, I’ll bite you!” 

Rolling my eyes, I stopped in my office to check on a few tests that I had left by the wayside. Everything seemed to be in order. Again, half the life of a scientist is waiting. And if I had to choose between staying in my office and waiting versus going home and waiting ...well, the choice was obvious. 

As I walked to my car, I started thinking about the logistics of this little forced bed and breakfast situation. The two guest bedrooms were small, but beggars can't be choosers. Before the guests arrived, I better be a little prepared for them. I know that my fridge is practically a barren wasteland, and I’m not sure I have enough towels, toilet paper, or even soap for two more people. 

I pulled out of the parking lot and over the small drawbridge that led to the main key. I stopped at the first supermarket that I could find and started throwing what I deemed to be necessities into the shopping cart. 

Stuff to shower with, clean clothes with, some more toiletries and trash bags...Damnit, I knew I should have made a list. Frustrated, I just started grabbing random things. Coffee, sure, they’d probably like that. Orange juice, they need to drink that if they plan to blend in here. 

Grabbing a bunch of food, I felt a great kick in the paycheck as I paid for my mountain of groceries and packed the trunk of the car with them. I felt like a doomsday prepper with all this food. 

It was all for the best. The two people would appreciate it. 

I should have asked Hop for their names. Did he even tell me their names? I can’t remember- I should call Hop and ask. He could have at least told me a little bit more about these people.

Then again, I did tell him to keep it down to bullet points… 

Frustrated with my usual act first; question later routine, I hurriedly gave Hop a call. Of course the grumpy bastard didn’t answer, so I could do nothing but leave him a message on his voicemail.

“Hey, Hop. It’s me.” I curled the telephone cord around my hand, taking some of the groceries out of the bag. “I just realized I know jack shit about these guys. I bought food for you ingrates, but I don’t know what they like. Give me a ring with more details. Be safe, Chief.” 

Hanging up the phone back into its cradle, I finished putting away the food. The tiny guest bathroom was restocked, and new towels were folded and placed in their linen closet. 

With a huff, I sat down on my sofa. 

Nothing to do now but...wait. 


End file.
